Thursday, June 12, 2014

Michael A. Kahn's "Face Value," the movie

Readers, friends, and relatives have been casting Rachel Gold and her brilliant, fat, and crude best friend Benny Goldberg since they first appeared 25 years ago in The Canaan Legacy. Back then, many suggested that Rachel be played by Amy Irving (who’d starred in a few films in the 1980s), and that Benny be played by John Candy (as a stand-in for John Belushi, who had died earlier that decade). Over the years, Amy’s career has faded and John Candy sadly followed John Belushi into the grave.

Also over the years, two other recurring characters have emerged, namely, Sarah Gold, Rachel’s irrepressible Jewish mother, and Jacki Brand, the massive former steelworker who underwent a sex-change operation while working as Rachel’s secretary (and attending law school at night) and who is now a partner in Rachel’s law firm.

Here are my casting choices:

Rachel Gold: Everyone seems to have their own Rachel. My top two choices are Natalie Portman and...[read on]